About

About the 8664 Alternative

8664 is a grassroots campaign with over 10,000 supporters who are advocating for a better, faster and cheaper alternative to the $4.1 billion Ohio River Bridges Project ("ORBP"). The ORBP received federal approval in 2003 to construct two new Ohio River Bridges and expand "Spaghetti Junction" to 23 lanes wide (below) and would widen I-64 over Waterfront Park by an additional 75 feet.

The 8664 alternative would build only the East End Bridge, but would also replace a section of the elevated I-64 on Louisville's waterfront with a pedestrian-friendly boulevard (below). 8664 was recently recognized in the Congress for the New Urbanism's Top 10 List of national teardown prospects titled Freeways without Futures.

KYTC Traffic Study Supports End Bridge Priority

On November 25, 2008, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet released a $60,000 traffic study comparing a one-bridge solution to the current $4.1 Billion "two-bridge solution."

According to KYTC's study, the East End Bridge-only alternative will perform 99% as well as the currently proposed two-bridge solution. Not only will building only one bridge provide the same benefits to the region's transportation system, it will also save literally billions of dollars and open up downtown and the waterfront to significant redevelopment potential.

And the one-bridge solution doesn't need to delay the Bridges Project. The East End Bridge is already part of the current project and has gone through the lengthy environmental review processes and therefore is as close to "shovel-ready" as any aspect of the project. We must make the East End Bridge the funding and construction priority.

Founded in 2005

After seeing pictures of the proposed 23-lane Spaghetti Junction planned for Louisville's waterfront, two local businessmen formed 8664. The name "eighty-six, sixty-four" comes from the slang term "86" which means to get rid of something and "64" meaning Interstate 64 on Louisville's waterfront.

Co-Founder Tyler Allen used his printing business USA Image Technologies to create large screens of the planned road building project and presented them on sidewalks and in coffee shops throughout the city to anyone who would listen. Co-Founder JC Stites used his software development company Autodemo LLC to create a website and distribute information about their alternative plan across the Internet. Tyler and JC continue to lead the campaign with a strong advisory board and active volunteers.

We've learned that while "8664" might be a short and catchy name, it's not perfect for a couple reasons. People incorrectly assume that the entire interstate will be removed. That's not the case, just a short section on Louisville's waterfront. Second, and more important, this vision is more about what it adds to Louisville than anything it takes away. Yes, we want fewer trucks and interstate traffic downtown, but what we really want is a growing regional economy, a vibrant and livable downtown, and a spectacular waterfront that reconnects our city to the Ohio River.

Louisville has been divided for too long. We all lose -- East End, West End, South Louisville, Southern Indiana -- when we don't come together to address our regional challenges. We think 8664 will strengthen the center of our city in a sustainable, progressive way that will unite the region and allow us to focus on important things like rapid transit, diversity and economic competitiveness.